Blouse || Jeans || Heels || Clutch || Belt

This month’s NYC Update is going to be solely dedicated to the holidays in the city. All of the hype that you’ve heard about how gorgeous it is, it’s all real! The Christmas trees are up, the lights are twinkling, and I finally am ready to get in the Christmas spirit. This is all a ‘learning as I go’ thing, but I’ve been looking into some of the holiday festivities around town. Between now and going back to Florida for the holidays, I’ll be dragging David (and camera) to as many stops as we can to take in all of the cheer. Here are some of the top picks on my to-do list…

• Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade: CHECK! I’m pretty sure this was the coldest Thanksgiving the city has ever seen, but this is the official start to the holiday season. Regardless, we braved the cold and wind to enjoy a bit of the parade. It’s one thing to watch the parade on TV, but I felt like such a kid seeing all of the balloons go by in person. Giddy, I think, is the closest word. We started near the Museum of Natural History, which turned out to be their staging area, but we strolled down to see more of the parade action. Now that we know the lay of the land, we’ll have a better game plan for next year.
• Rockefeller Center: The Center’s Christmas tree is lit and ready for the holidays. If the weather holds up, I’m hoping to stop by this weekend to visit the tree and, who knows, maybe work up the courage to go ice skating. I can’t think of a better setting to try out skating for the first time!
• Christmas Spectacular with the Rockettes: CHECK! (sort of)… A few weeks ago, I had the privilege of starting off the holiday season with Talbots and a few of the Rockettes. While it was just a taste of the Christmas Spectacular, I was able to see these gorgeous ladies up close and in person. I even got a quick lesson in how to perfect that trademark kick!
• Hotel Hop: I’m hard-pressed to think of anyone who does holiday décor better than NYC hotels. It seems like they all have an unspoken contest with each other and I just don’t know who’s winning. If you have a free afternoon, hop from hotel to hotel to see who your favorite is. Whether it’s the Plaza, Lotte New York Place, or the St. Regis, you really can’t go wrong!
• Window Shop: No matter who you are, window shopping will always fit in your budget. This time of year, apartment stores and designer boutiques alike deck the halls with the dreamiest of window displays. I love waking up early to stroll down a quiet Madison Avenue and take in all of the store fronts, leading to the coup de grace from the department stores in Midtown.
• Find the Perfect Hot Chocolate: As the weather gets cooler, you’ll be needing a hot drink to keep yourself warm. So many shops in NYC put their own spin on this winter staple, you’ll just have to sample them all and find your favorite.
• Give Ice Skating a Try: I am not what you would call graceful, but I’m still itching to get out on the ice rink for the first time. I know there will be a lot of spills and falls, but it’s still a must do in the city. Whether you’re skating at Rockefeller Center or Central Park, it’s going to be winter magic!
• Get Cozy at a Holiday Bar: After you’ve checked everything on your list, snuggle up in one the many holiday bars around the city. You’ve earned it! Rolf’s in Gramercy Park is always the spot on the top of everyone’s nice list, but Pete’s Tavern or Lillie’s Victorian are great alternatives.

I hope I get through my little list this year. If there’s another NYC Christmas must be sure to let me know!

Love from NYC,
Katie

Sweater || Jeans || Booties || Handbag

Every year around this time, I’m faced with the same struggle. I’m not a fan of the whole ‘ugly sweater’ concept. That probably makes me sound like such a Scrooge. Instead, I like to use the holidays as a time for dressing up and looking my absolute best, and ugly sweaters just really don’t fit into that mold. Sadly, no matter how against it I am, there’s no escaping them. Holiday parties, either at the office or with friends, almost always call for them. This year, I decided to meet somewhere in the middle and find sweaters that have all of the Christmas feels without the tacky and kitschy element. This sweater from ASOS is probably about as far as I can go. The pattern is pretty subtle, but the ‘Joyeux Noel” detail gives it the right amount of a festive touch.

If you too hate ugly holiday sweaters, I have some good news for you. I’ve been finding all kinds of sweaters that still work for the holiday season without all of the extra glitter, trim, and lightworks some of these sweaters have nowadays. Seriously, these people are taking it way too far.

The best way to wear a Christmas sweater? I like to keep it simple and style it like I would any other sweater. These cropped jeans from Old Navy will always be my favorite, but they can leave you with cold ankles during the winter time. Good thing I have these black booties from Thursday to cover me up. They are the right height for cooler weather and the Chelsea boot style is always a classic.

To share more (subtle) Christmas cheer with you, I’ve linked up my favorite festive Christmas sweaters. I dare to say, I think you could wear some of these no matter the holiday. I’ve already ordered this flamingo sweater from J. Crew Factory to gear up for my trip to Florida for the holidays. You can take the girl out of Florida, but you’ll never take the Florida out of the girl.

Love from NYC,
Katie

Sweater || Pants || Heels || Beanie || Handbag

Red and Green will always be the top color combo during Christmas time, but sometimes it’s fun to steer towards the less traditional. The shades of blue and navy are by far my favorite color family and it’s very apparent when you look in my closet, apartment, and even holiday décor. This year, our Christmas tree will be decked out with navy and silver ornaments to match the rest of our NYC apartment.

This post was originally going to be about all of the gorgeous blue and white Christmas decorations in stores this year, but I realized that I’m probably one of the few people out there that hasn’t actually finished (or begun) decorating for the season. This weekend is forecasted to be rainy and cold, but the perfect time to sip hot chocolate as we set up the Christmas tree. A blue and white Christmas also extends to our tableware. On Thanksgiving, we debuted all of the Italian Blue Spode pieces we received from our wedding. I couldn’t be more in love! Even though the motif isn’t Christmas at all, it made for a lovely festive spread that I can’t wait to use again. If you love it as much as I do, be sure to shop my favorite picks down below.

Keeping up with the blue theme, how gorgeous is the shade of blue on this turtleneck sweater from J. Crew Factory. Normally, I tend to steer away from turtlenecks in general, but this color really caught my eye and I just had to go for it. It’s a happy, but not overwhelming, pop of color on a cold New York City morning. The quality is all there and makes for a great addition to a much needed sweater rotation. Easily keep the look crisp and clean with this pair of black slim-fit pants from J. Crew and structured bag from ASOS. The J. Crew beanie, apart from keeping my head warm, is just a fun little accent to an other wise put-together outfit.

Love from NYC,
Katie